Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-23919 (PTD 1) discloses an engine start control system disclosing a technique of restarting an engine when a push switch is pushed even if a brake pedal is not depressed if the engine has stopped due to some cause while a vehicle is traveling.
In addition, in recent years, as one of the countermeasures against environmental problems, hybrid vehicles equipped with a motor generator and an engine have received attention. A publicly known example of such a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle with elements: drive wheels, an engine, and a motor generator which are mechanically coupled together.